Imperfections
by YuYuFanatic14
Summary: Eventual B'ElannaSeven. An incident makes Seven ultra aware of imperfections, and she is intent on fixing them, whatever the cost. What effect does this have on the others around her?
1. Chapter 1

Okay, I know this chapter is short, but it's basically an intro. Also, I'm not COMPLETELY familiar with ST stuff, and so I might not be as specific or accurate as I should be. Please bear with me- this is my first dive into ST fanfic, and so I'm learning here. The next chapter will be posted tomorrow morning or tomorrow afternoon. Depends on the response I get.

* * *

"Captain, M-class planet is being detected," Harry Kim announced. "Scans show the crust contains some materials that could be helpful in maintaining the replicators."

"Onscreen."

A greenish white planet came into view on the large view screen.

"It doesn't look like it has very advanced inhabitants," Harry continued.

Chakotay glanced over at Janeway, who was contemplating what she had been told.

"Do you want to explore?" he asked.

Janeway hesitated a moment, then sighed. "It's too tempting," she said. "We'll assemble an away team. But first… continue scans for weather so we'll know who t send down. The surface looks odd and I want to be careful."

Harry nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."

-

It didn't take long for the scans to be completed, and they found it was a cold planet, with mostly frozen over grass. It wasn't cold enough to require a suit if the right people went down. That meant no humans, even though there was oxygen in the atmosphere.

When the senior staff met to discuss, Seven suggested that she and the Doctor go. Being a hologram, the Doctor would be unaffected, and she herself was suited to reasonably low temperatures as "it would be inefficient if the Borg could not withstand cold."

Janeway was hesitant about only sending two down, but she finally relented, and sent Seven to inform the Doctor and get ready.

-

"Why did you have to volunteer _me_?" the Doctor complained as he and Seven were flying down to the planet.

"I did not wish to be alone, and you were the only suitable candidate," Seven replied.

The Doctor rolled his eyes but stayed quiet.

-

When they exited the flyer, Seven tensed slightly as the cold hit her. She was slightly annoyed that the Doctor was not affected at all, but strode forward confidently. She would prove that she was competent for this mission.

Their tricorders soon found the materials they were to take back to the ship inside a cave, and they carefully started excavating. However, they had just started when they heard a low rumbling noise.

"Is that the snow?" Seven asked cautiously. The Doctor frowned.

"I think it is. We have to get out of here."

They hurried toward the exit, but the opening was quickly closed by a huge mass of snow, blocking their only way out. Undeterred, Seven turned to the Doctor.

"Let me take the mobile emitter so you can get back to the ship," she ordered. "From there, you can tell the crew to come get me."

The Doctor was slightly miffed at the thought of giving up his emitter, but nodded and took it off, promptly disappearing. Seven then started to carefully work at digging the snow away from the opening, waiting for the crew to return.

-

"_Sickbay to bridge._"

Janeway frowned. "Doctor, I thought you were on the away mission."

"_I was. There was an avalanche and Seven sent me back by taking my mobile emitter. We have to go back down and get her out._"

"Understood. I'll get a group together. Janeway out." She sighed and turned to Chakotay. "Always has to keep it interesting, doesn't she?"


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, thank you, Ravenwings6, for the review. Here's chapter two! (hey, that rhymed… kinda.) Anyway, I think this one starts actually getting into the plot. (Sorry it's still not that long, though.) I'm really liking writing chapter 3, so the more responses I get, the faster it comes up.

Hmm… can't think of much else to say, so here's the chapter.

* * *

The new away team consisted of B'Elanna Torres, Tom Paris, and Tuvok. They were wearing suits, as scans had shown a blizzard that had started.

"Can you use the tricorders to find her?" B'Elanna yelled over the storm at Tom.

"I can tell she's in this direction, but it's hard to say exactly where," Tom yelled back.

After that, talking ceased as they spent most of their energy looking for Seven.

-

It had been over an hour since the Doctor had left, and no one had come yet. Seven had given up on trying to dig our herself, as her energy was going down quickly. She was cold, and it was getting harder to stand.

Seven sat on the ground, holding her knees close to her, trying to conserve body heat. If the crew didn't come soon… She didn't want to think of what would happen.

She was frustrated, though. She should be able to function under any circumstance, and here she was, freezing. An imperfection, which must be fixed. Did she have others?

Seven occupied herself with this until she heard a faint noise that sounded like a yell. Had the crew come? She listened carefully- there it was again. It sounded like her name. She wanted to yell back, but she felt too tired to. That slightly scared her, but she tried to ignore it as she waited for the crew to find her.

-

"Seven! Are you there?" B'Elanna yelled. There was no response, and she turned, exasperated, to Tom. "Can you find her?"

Tom studied the tricorder carefully. "She's really close. Didn't the Doctor say there was an avalanche? Look for a big pile of snow."

"Already done," Tuvok replied calmly. "We must dig through the snow to reach her."

Tom and B'Elanna nodded, starting to work. There wasn't a lot of snow, but it was packed tightly together, which made it hard, but they got through eventually to find Seven on the ground, her eyes barely open. She was shivering from the cold, and didn't seem to realize they were there. B'Elanna knelt by her.

"Seven, we're here. We're going to take you back to Voyager now, okay? Just hang in there." She touched her combadge. "Away team to Voyager. Four to beam up."

She knew there would be a little bit of interference from the storm, but the message would be obvious.

Sure enough, the four of them started to disintegrate into blue spots of light, reappearing in the transporter room aboard Voyager, safe from the storm.

But now there was Seven to take care of.

"Computer, transport Seven to sickbay."

Once Seven was transported, Tom and B'Elanna made their way to sickbay as well.

"How is she, Doc?" Tom asked, handing over the mobile emitter.

"She'll be fine, but if she had been out there another ten minutes…" he trailed off. "I'm glad you found her when you did. I'm sure she will be grateful."

"'Will be grateful?'" Tom repeated. The Doctor nodded.

"She passed out. That's why those ten minutes would have killed her. You can wait here for her to wake up if you don't get in my way."

B'Elanna shook her head. "Sorry, but I have to get back to work. Tom, you stay."

"But what about the bridge?" Tom protested, looking incredulous.

"They can get a replacement for a little. Relax." And with that, she was gone.

Tom rolled his eyes, taking a seat next to Seven. "Women."

-

It didn't take long for Seven to wake up, but she didn't seem particularly happy about being up. She sat up, looking around sickbay with a blank expression on her face.

"You feeling okay, Seven?" Tom asked. "You gave us all a scare."

"I am functioning," Seven replied. "Though, you should have left me to die."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Why would you say something like that?"

"I was weak- imperfect. That is unacceptable." Tom sighed exasperatedly.

"Seven, if it had been any of us, we _would_ have died. You were _lucky_. Even if we didn't die, we would have reacted the same as you. There's nothing to be upset about."

Seven looked uncertain, but didn't respond.

"C'mon, Seven, let's get back to work. You don't look like you're messed up from this, and Janeway won't let us slack off."

Seven nodded and stood, following Tom out of sickbay and promptly returning to her station at astrometrics. The captain probably already knew that she and the Doctor hadn't been able to retrieve the materials for the replicators, but she would have said something if they were going to attempt again. Sure enough, the ship resumed its course, and Seven knew the planet was being left behind.

Seven hadn't liked being on that planet at all. The cold, the feeling that she wasn't going to make it… She didn't like being vulnerable. She should have been able to stand the cold until the others got there.

Imperfections were unacceptable. They must be fixed.

But how was she supposed to fix them? …No, she was getting ahead of herself. She'd have to find others, since this one was one she wasn't going to go through again. She _could _go through conditioning, though…

But nothing now. She had work to do, and it was an inefficient use of time to focus completely on faults.

Maybe once her shift was over.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, I want to thank Rono777 and ravenwings6 for reviewing chapter 2. Very nice reviews, and so here I am, posting chapter three, feeling fairly confident. I got a lot of writing done during school today, so chapter four will be up maybe tomorrow afternoonish? I'll shoot for that and see what happens.

Now, to me, B'Elanna's being a slight out of character. I will try to balance between the plot necessities and the actual personality, so she might be off here and there. Please bear with me- I'm just getting used to writing these characters. I think you guys'll like this chapter anyway- more plot actually happens.

Oh, and one more note- a few days ago, I was watching Voyager on TV, and the episode I was watching used a plot point I have in this chapter. It was very odd. Now, it had one different character, but the point of it was the same. Actually, the entire episode had hints at things I wrote, though I had written it without seeing the episode, and hints at J/7 and T/7. Loved the episode. Anyway, I'll stop talking and you can read the chapter.

* * *

Once her shift was over, Seven returned to cargo bay two and sat down on the platform of her alcove, ready to contemplate about imperfection.

The Borg had been very emphatic on 'perfection' and very strict on what was 'irrelevant.' Those two things had governed most of their actions, as they wished for perfection, and Seven knew irrelevant things had to be stripped away to reach that perfection.

So why were the Borg the only ones who strived for it seriously? Many other races wished for perfection, but never actually _did_ anything about it. And if the humans wanted perfection as well, then why were they enemies with the Borg? The whole thing seemed very confusing to Seven.

The first thing to do, she assumed, was to think if she had ever shown a weakness in front of a crew member. She didn't think so. That was good.

Coming back to today, she had to make up for her inability to finish the mission. Maybe she could work on a new transportation technology for the ship. If she finished, it might make up for what she had done-… _hadn't_ done, to be precise.

But she had to regenerate after her shift today because of what had happened on the planet… She didn't feel tired, though…

Maybe just an hour.

-

"Seven?" B'Elanna called as she entered cargo bay two the next morning. When she got no response, she frowned. "Seven? Are you in here?"

When there was still only silence, she became a small bit anxious.

"Computer, locate Seven of Nine."

"Seven of Nine is in Astrometrics," the computer responded immediately.

B'Elanna was a little confused, but headed towards Astrometrics anyway.

_What's she doing there so early?_ she wondered. _It's not even her shift yet._

When B'Elanna entered Astrometrics, the first thing she noticed about Seven was that the Borg looked rather fatigued.

"Seven?" she asked cautiously. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Of course," Seven replied, not looking up from where she was working. "I might ask you the same question. What are you doing here so late?"

B'Elanna shook her head. "Seven, it's the morning now. It's not even time for your shift." When the Borg looked at her disbelievingly, she sighed exasperatedly. "It's 0600 hours," she insisted. "Wait… did you work all night?"

Seven paused her work and thought for a minute. "When I was done my shift last night, I came back here after a short time, deciding I needed to work on something. I had originally planned to only work for an hour. I see I lost track of time."

She straightened her posture and looked at B'Elanna seriously. "I will still go to my shift, Lieutenant. Just because I lost track of time is no excuse to skip."

"I wasn't complaining," B'Elanna said, glancing at what Seven had been working on. "It looks rather interesting… researching slipstream?"

"Yes. I have been trying to think of a way to make it compatible with Voyager. So far, I have been unsuccessful, but I will find a way."

"That'll be cool. And you _can_ take a short break before your shift. We won't mark you late, and besides, this area of space is pretty empty for light-years around."

"I do not need a break. I am still functioning."

"Functioning well?"

It took a second for Seven to respond with a "yes," but B'Elanna was sure that it really should have been a "no." The Borg didn't look like she would have as much energy as she usually did, so B'Elanna wouldn't give her anything too big, in case she made a mistake from tiredness.

"Now, why were you looking for me, Lieutenant?" Seven asked.

"I was going to ask you if you were okay from yesterday," B'Elanna said. "But it looks like you're fine, so I'll meet you later to discuss this new slipstream stuff?"

Seven seemed surprised that B'Elanna would offer interest in her work, but nodded, and B'Elanna left.

-

"…she was up all night, captain. I don't remember her doing that before."

Janeway nodded thoughtfully. "Do you think that this will continue, and, whether it does or not, will it effect her strongly?"

"I'm not sure, captain," B'Elanna replied. "I'll be watching her carefully today. Shall I notify the Doctor?"

"No, not yet. I don't want her to feel like we're ganging up on her. If it continues, then yes, tell the Doctor. Just watch her for now."

B'Elanna nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

-

As they work on the slipstream project, B'Elanna kept a close eye on Seven to make sure she was doing okay. She seemed to be working fine, but she was moving a little slower than normal.

After a while, the Borg seemed to get tired, and she paused in her work, putting a hand to her forehead.

"You _can_ stop, Seven," B'Elanna offered. "If you haven't regenerated for two days, you probably should."

"…I will not comply," Seven said after hesitating for a moment. "I can still function, so there is no need."

B'Elanna rolled her eyes. "Either sleep or have one of your nutritional icky drinks. But you have to do one if you want to keep working."

Seven seemed almost annoyed, but then relented and nodded.

"I will see you in six hours then, Lieutenant."

"Thanks, Seven. I'll save our work for now, and we'll continue later."

-

Seven was silently, secretly relieved that she had alone time. She could speculate more about imperfections.

As she approached the cargo bay, she wondered why she had decided that regenerating was better than ingesting nutrients which her body most likely needed more. Also, she could get more work done if she took the five minutes to drink instead of the six hours to regenerate.

She paused, studying herself. Would it hurt her too much if she started to regenerate more often than eating? She had more than the necessary amount of body mass, so a missed "meal" or two in favor of regenerating didn't seem to be such a big deal. Besides, she was starting to get a slight headache from fatigue, so she hurried the rest of the way to the cargo bay.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday and that it's kinda short. I had a lot of stuff to do yesterday. But still- thank you to ravenwings6 for the review. Nice to have consistent reviewers.

hmm... Don't know what else to say, so... here's the chapter.

* * *

B'Elanna went to the mess hall, suddenly feeling hungry. She hadn't realized that mostly mental work could be just as hard as working in engineering. She got her food and sat in the corner. She had just started eating when something occurred to her.

"Neelix?" She went back to the counter to face the Talaxian cook.

"What is it, B'Elanna?" Neelix asked. "Something wrong with your food?"

"No, not this time. I was thinking about Seven. Has she been in the mess hall lately?"

Neelix thought for a moment. "Well, she hasn't been here since the planet incident, and I don't remember having seen her for a day or so before that. Why? Has she gone missing?"

B'Elanna shook her head. "No, I know exactly where she is… and that's the problem."

-

So, Seven hadn't eaten for a few days. Normally, this wouldn't bother B'Elanna much, but when it was coupled with what had already happened… she had to tell the Doctor.

She entered sickbay and looked around. When she couldn't see the Doctor, she sighed exasperatedly. "Computer, activate Emergency Medical Hologram."

Thankfully, the Doctor didn't say his usual phrase when he was activated, and looked at B'Elanna curiously.

"Is there something wrong, B'Elanna?" he asked.

"With Seven, there is. Doctor, she hasn't regenerated in two days, hasn't eaten since before the planet incident- really, all anyone's seen her do in days is work. I think there's something wrong."

The Doctor nodded. "I see. I appreciate you telling me, but since you haven't cared about Seven before, I am slightly anxious for the possibility of an ulterior motive."

B'Elanna blinked, having forgotten that she usually did anything _but _care about the Borg, and felt slightly annoyed at herself for forgetting.

"I have no motive, Doctor. I guess I just noticed and thought I should tell you."

The Doctor seemed just as surprised about her stoke of kindness as she was, but nodded.

"Thank you, B'Elanna. I will speak with her about it the next time I see her. Should I notify the captain?"

"She already knows," B'Elanna said hastily. "Just get to Seven."

"Will do."

B'Elanna let a small smile grace her features as she turned to leave. "Thank you."

-

As she walked away from sickbay, she felt rather foolish. Janeway didn't know about the eating part of the problem, and of _course_ the Doctor would tell her anyway, and she'd get upset and start fussing over Seven… B'Elanna stopped that thought right there. What was she thinking? It didn't matter to her- she was just reporting a problem to the captain.

So why did it feel like such a big deal?

-

The first thing Seven noticed upon exiting her regenerating cycle was that her stomach was bothering her. She wasn't sick, she knew that. When she looked up what caused "stomachaches" in humans, she found not eating was a common cause. So maybe she _couldn't _live on solely regenerating.

Well, she could just eat what she needed to make the pain go away. It would use up far less resources than if she continued to eat three times a day, even if she wasn't hungry. Then the energy could be used for more important things. A sense of satisfaction came over her as she noticed she was being efficient. Efficient was good.

Seven's combadge chirped, startling her out of her thoughts.

"_Doctor to Seven of Nine._"

"Seven here. What is it?"

"Please report to sickbay. I need to discuss something with you."

"Understood. Seven out."

Seven had no idea what the Doctor wanted, but figured it couldn't hurt to go see.

"What did you need, Doctor?" she asked once she had arrived at sickbay.

"I was informed that you haven't been eating lately, Seven," the Doctor replied. "Care to tell me about it?"

"I am merely trying to be efficient. If I can survive through mostly regeneration and eating when my body needs to, I do not see the problem."

The Doctor sighed exasperatedly. "Seven, I see where you're getting these thoughts, but things just don't work that way. You need to eat your regular three meals, even if you might not be hungry. It gives your body the nutrition it needs to keep functioning properly."

"Humans eat to gain energy. I gain energy through my alcove. As long as I eat when my body starts to have a… stomachache, I see no problem."

The Doctor sighed yet again. "Fine, fine. Try your little experiment in "efficiency," but don't start complaining to me when…" and his little rant faded off into annoyed mumbles as he returned to some other work. Seven assumed that was her cue to leave, and she headed off to the mess hall to get her one glass of nutrition for the day.


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, first I want to thank those that reviewed. You guys are awesome! Second, I want to apologize for taking so long to update. I've been a little busy. I think this chapter is okay, but it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. Hope you like it anyway. I'll try to update faster next time.

...I don't think there's anything else to say, so here's the chapter.

* * *

When Seven entered the mess hall, she was surprised to find Neelix waiting for her with a drink in his hand.

"There you are, Seven! I've been waiting for you! Here, I programmed one of your supplements for you."

Seven raised an eyebrow as she took the drink. "How did you know I was coming?"

Neelix shrugged. "You haven't been here for quite some time, and I thought that when you finally did come, I should have something waiting for you."

Seven took a tentative sip of her drink and relaxed from her slightly apprehensive state when she found it tasted correct. "Why did you program my supplement instead of letting me do it myself? I am perfectly capable."

"I know, I guess I just wanted to be nice. Not many crewmembers take the time to be nice with you, you know."

Seven was slightly surprised to find that Neelix cared to notice, but didn't let it show on her face. She thanked him for the drink and finished it quickly. Feeling slightly uncomfortable with him watching her, she left the mess hall and headed back to Astrometrics.

-

Back in Engineering, B'Elanna was worrying. And for the first time in her life, it wasn't about the warp core or some piece of equipment. It was about an actual person.

Seven.

_She's a robot. She's got those nanoprobes in her blood. They'll help her stay healthy, and sooner or later, she'll get her mind straight. She'll be fine._

But no matter how much she tried to reassure herself, she didn't feel any better.

Finally, she gave up and went back to work, planning to forget this as she buried herself in information.

-

When her shift was over, B'Elanna decided to go check on Seven in Astrometrics. As expected, the Borg was still working diligently. B'Elanna sighed, and returned to her quarters. She couldn't bring herself to talk to the Borg just yet.

As she lay on her bed, B'Elanna was deep in thought. It was normal to worry about a crewmate, but the way she kept _worrying_ about Seven… it was unnatural.

She heard the door open, and turned over so her face was pressing into the pillow.

"Go away, Tom."

"C'mon, what's wrong now?"

"Nothing…"

"It doesn't _sound_ like nothing."

B'Elanna sat up to face Tom, an annoyed look on her face. "I'm just feeling a little stressed out right now, okay?" She sighed and fell back on the pillow. "Just a little tense. I'll be fine."

Tom nodded. "I'll leave you alone, then, just in case it gets dangerous," he joked. Then, growing more serious, "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Tom."

"No prob. Night, B'Elanna."

When the door closed behind Tom, B'Elanna felt slightly for being alone, but also felt a small urge of wanting a person to be there with her. This was too confusing…

-

When it was time for her to get up, it took B'Elanna a long time to pull herself out of bed, and she ended up being ten minutes late for her shift. Apart from a few surprised looks, no one mentioned it. She had never been late before, and no one wanted to set her off by asking what it was about, in case it was personal.

"B'Elanna, why are you late?" Apparently Tom didn't have a problem with asking her.

"I was just tired this morning, that's all," B'Elanna replied as she looked over the reports on how well the various parts of the engine room were functioning.

Tom rolled his eyes. "You can't expect me to believe that, B'Elanna."

"I do. Now leave me alone."

"What are you worrying about?"

B'Elanna paused in what she was doing and eyed Tom carefully. "What makes you think I'm worrying about something?"

"You're always obsessed with me leaving you alone when you're worrying." Tom lowered his voice. "I heard about Seven. Is that what's got you so tense?"

B'Elanna sighed. "It's not normal to worry this much, Tom. I just don't know how to deal with a Borg who wants perfection and is willing to hurt herself to gain what she think is it." She blinked. "That was a mouthful."

Tom nodded, smiling slightly. "Yeah. But you know Seven. She'll probably realize it's not the "right" way to gain perfection and she'll get over it. Everything'll be okay, so you can stop worrying."

B'Elanna shrugged. "I guess you're right. I'll check on her after my shift."

"Great idea. I have to get back to the bridge now, so I'll see you later."

"Later, Tom." B'Elanna promptly shook all thoughts from her head and started to work.

After only a few minutes, however, she found herself becoming distracted and sighed exasperatedly. It seemed she wasn't going to get any work done until she talked to the Borg. Turning on her heel, she strode out of Engineering.

-

B'Elanna headed towards Astrometrics, ignoring the looks she was getting. True, she didn't leave her post much unless it was important, but that didn't mean they could just stand there and stare.

When she reached Astrometrics, Seven glanced up at her, looking confused.

"Is there something I can help you with, Lieutenant?" she asked. B'Elanna shrugged.

"Just checking up on you. So, how're you doing? Did you regenerate last night?"

"I am functioning just fine, Lieutenant. I do not see why you keep bothering me."

B'Elanna hesitated. "..I'm just… worried about you," she said softly. Seven looked more confused than before.

"Why would you be worried about me?" she asked.

"Because what you're doing to yourself isn't healthy!" B'Elanna exclaimed. "I don't care if you're Borg, you're still going to get hurt if you keep this up!"

The Borg eyed her uncertainly for a moment before tapping her combadge.

"Seven of Nine to Captain Janeway."

"_What is it, Seven?_"

"Please instruct Lieutenant Torres to leave Astrometrics."

"_Why? Is she bothering you?_"

"…She is harassing me."

"_Is there a reason for her being in Astrometrics?_"

"No."

"_Then you can tell her to leave. Janeway out._"

B'Elanna looked incredulous. "Seven-"

"You heard what the captain said. Leave now."

For a moment, it looked like B'Elanna wasn't going anywhere, but finally she sighed.

"Fine. I won't come near you until this is over. Later."

_Of course, you might well be dead when it's over,_ she thought bitterly as she left.


	6. Chapter 6

I didn't realize until I uploaded it how short it was... it's two pages on Word, but I guess I wasn't taking word number into account. Anyway, I didn't want to go further, because I liked where I left it off, so we'll stay here for now. Thank you so much to those who reviewed- you guys are totally awesome. :)

Even though it's short, I hope you guys like the chapter, and I'll try to get the next one up soon. I have a bit of school work to catch up on, but I'll do my best.

* * *

Once B'Elanna was gone, Seven returned to her work, satisfied that there would be no more disruptions. Maybe she could even get some work done on her slipstream idea.

Yes, that sounded good. She turned to another computer panel and brought up what she had done so far. True, B'Elanna had helped her with this considerably, but Seven didn't want to be around B'Elanna until the engineer realized that Seven could take care of herself and was able to still function just fine.

-nighttime-

The only problem with working continuously, Seven decided, was that there just weren't enough people. While she wasn't really _friends_ with most of the crew, she was used to having all those crewmembers walk around during the day, and she was feeling… dare she say it… lonely?

No, she didn't need other people. She could function just fine on her own.

…So why was she experiencing doubt?

-

The next day, she caught herself making many little slip-ups, and she became very frustrated. More imperfections… they would not do.

Seven had been up for 36 hours when her combadge chirped. She tapped it tentatively, expecting a concerned B'Elanna or Doctor.

"Seven of Nine here. Who-"

"Seven! Great to hear you!" It was Neelix. "I was wondering if you wanted to meet me in Airponics. There was something I wanted to show you."

Seven was surprised, but quickly recovered.

"I will comply. I will see you there soon. Seven of Nine out."

-

As she made her way to Airponics, she wondered what Neelix could possibly want to meet her for. They weren't what she would call friends, as they barely interacted, but it would be rude to decline an invitation without a valid reason.

When she arrived, she saw Neelix attending a group of pink flowers, a group of lavender ones lying next to him.

"Mr. Neelix? Why did you ask me to come here?"

Neelix smiled and picked a few of the flowers, adding them to the lavender ones.

"I wanted to show you the flowers, Seven. Aren't they pretty?"

Seven raised an eyebrow. "Yes, they are aesthetically pleasing, but is that the only reason for you bringing me here?"

"You don't always need an important reason to do something," Neelix replied. "Just stop to smell the flowers once in a while." He handed the flowers to Seven. "Here you go. They do smell nice."

Seven frowned, confused. "Why are you giving me flowers?"

"I want to be nice to you," Neelix said. "Like I said before, not many people are nice to you."

Seven was still confused, but didn't say anything. Sensing her discomfort, Neelix hastily added, "It's not for an ulterior motive, Seven, I just want to know something. Some people think you're feeling depressed, which is why you're staying up and not eating. I figured it was my job to make you feel better.

"There is no need to make me "feel better," Mr. Neelix," Seven replied. "I am functioning perfectly."

"That may be so, but there is a difference between functioning and being happy, Seven," Neelix protested.

"Happiness is irrelevant," Seven said stubbornly.

"No, it's not, Seven! Being happy is the best part of life! You- you just don't understand!"

"There is nothing to be confused about. I am functioning just fine, and you may tell the others who are worrying that there is nothing to worry about."

"But you're _not_ okay, Seven!" Neelix was upset. "I just want to help you!"

"I do not need helping, Mr. Neelix."

The Borg's infuriating calmness was sapping the last of Neelix's.

"Yes, you do! Please, Seven! We care about you!"

"No, you do not!" The uncharacteristic outburst startled Neelix.

"Seven, relax-"

"None of you understand me! I am not the same as you, so you try to change me! You are always assuming something is wrong!" The Borg paused, startled that she had lost herself, and took a moment to restore her normal air of calm.

"I apologize, Mr. Neelix. Here are your flowers. You will enjoy them more than I could. Please do not bother me unless it is important- there is work to do."

And with that, she left Airponics, leaving Neelix more worried than before.


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks to the person who reviewed. Loved the comment. Now, this chapter's a bit longer than the last one, so I hope you guys like that. I wanted to keep going, but I decided that it sounded okay where I left off, and it wouldn't ever stop if I kept going. But, since I have so many ideas, chapter 8 will probably be up pretty quick-

Actually, it's about to get a little complicated- at least, complicated to write. It might take a day or so to get my thoughts in the right order, but once they're organized (since they come to me randomly) they'll flow. So be patient.

...Don't think there's much else I can say without giving something away, so I'll let you read.

* * *

Not long after Seven left, Neelix called the captain to tell her. He also asked her if she could talk to Seven, since the Borg respected her more.

Janeway said she would, and made her way to Astrometrics.

-

When she arrived, she saw Seven working dutifully at her console, occasionally looking up the large screen in front of her.

"How's work coming along, Seven?" Janeway asked casually.

"Without Lieutenant Torres disrupting me, work has been proceeding at 99 percent efficiency. I have made a few minor mistakes, but I have fixed them."

"I see. There hasn't been much in the way of interesting space activity lately, so what exactly are you doing?"

"I have been researching slipstream technology," Seven replied. "and I have been thinking of ways of adapting the technology to Voyager."

"Fascinating. And how long have you been working on this?"

"…I am not exactly sure, captain. I have… lost track of time lately."

"Tired or tense? The Doctor wouldn't appreciate it if you pushed yourself too hard."

"I am slightly tense, Captain. Mr. Neelix has… frustrated me."

"Oh?" Janeway put on an innocently curious expression. "What happened?"

Seven sighed. "He invited me to Airponics, and then assaulted me with concerns from him and the crew regarding my health. He does not seem to understand that I am functioning just fine. Though, I have one regret. I… shouted at him."

"I'm sure he'll forgive you, Seven. You were probably overwhelmed, and yelling is a natural reaction to that. Maybe you should relax a bit."

Seven regarded her carefully, and Janeway became apprehensive.

"…I will not comply," Seven said steadily. "There is no need for rest."

"But Seven," Janeway started, "it's unhealthy to not rest once in a while."

Suddenly Janeway had an urgent instinct to step backwards and did so, just in time to miss Seven's Borg-enhanced hand swinging at her.

"You are doing just as he did!" she accused. "You are attempting to change me, make me think that something is wrong when there is not!"

The frantic look in Seven's eyes worried Janeway.

"Seven, relax." She put a comforting hand on Seven's shoulder, but was startled when Seven flinched.

"I wasn't trying to upset you. I'm sorry. Just calm down."

"I cannot calm down. I am imperfect. It must be fixed."

"Seven, you're fine just how you are."

"No! This body is not perfect! _I_ am not perfect! I must be perfect!"

"But _why_ do you need to be perfect, Seven?" Janeway asked. "Why is it so important?"

"Because-" the Borg frowned, confused. "it is perfection. Perfection is desirable, is it not?"

Janeway sighed. "In a sense, yes, but… Seven, you shouldn't focus solely on perfection. It's not a healthy obsession."

Seven wanted to keep the argument going for some reason, but something told her that it would be better if she simply made the captain think she was okay. Then she would not be bothered and could continue with her work. Besides, arguing was an inefficient use of time- imperfect.

She straightened her posture and forced her face into its usual calm expression.

"I understand, Captain," she said. "You may leave now."

Janeway left, albeit reluctantly, and Seven felt slightly relieved. She would have to be more careful around the captain from now on.

-

It had been five days since her last regeneration or meal. Even though she denied it, the Borg was definitely feeling fatigue. Seven had refused to talk to anyone starting on the third, and had shut herself up in the cargo bay, working from the computer consoles there.

By now, everyone knew about what was going on, and the people closest to her were getting anxious about her well-being.

Seven knew she had promised herself to try to act normal, but after a day or so had passed, something in her mind… snapped, for lack of a better word, and reasonable thinking seemed beyond her.

Not that she minded, of course. Even though the way she was acting wasn't really responsible, she was getting a lot of work done without any anxious crewmembers bothering her.

Though, after she pondered this for a while, she realized staying in the cargo bay wasn't the best idea. Maybe she would go back to her old workstation.

-

B'Elanna knew she had said to Seven that she wouldn't come near her "until it was over," but now that the Borg had been gone for several days, B'Elanna needed to see her to make sure she was alright.

She made her way to Astrometrics and entered, but made no indication that she was there. She highly doubted being quiet would matter, since the Borg would eventually notice her, but she wanted to get as much time as she could to watch her.

What she saw scared her. Seven obviously hadn't eaten during the whole mess- her normally skintight outfit now seemed a little loose, and the bones in her human hand were far too noticeable.

B'Elanna shuddered but stayed quiet, not wanting Seven to notice her. However, it didn't seem to mater after a few minutes. The Borg's hands were trembling, and her eyes were blinking more than normal. It took ten minutes for her to realize B'Elanna was in the room.

"Lieutenant Torres? Is that… you?" Seven asked slowly, looking at B'Elanna uncertainly.

B'Elanna nodded.

"Please leave… or…" Seven's threat could not be completed, as her eyes fluttered closed and she sank to her knees.

"Seven!" B'Elanna rushed to Seven's side, holding her upright.

"Torres to sickbay- medical emergency. Emergency transport required."

B'Elanna and Seven were immediately taken to sickbay, with the Doctor regarding them concernedly.

"What happened?" he asked, as he helped B'Elanna move Seven to one of the beds.

"I went into Astrometrics to watch her- I wanted to see how she was doing… She saw me, and then she collapsed."

B'Elanna shook her head. "I can't believe what she did to herself, Doctor. I don't know why…" _But REALLY I want to know why I care so much,_ she added to herself.

"Well, you can ask her yourself," the Doctor said. "She's waking up."

Seven sat up slowly and looked around sickbay. "Why am I here?"

"You collapsed, Seven," the Doctor replied. "Your body is _extremely _low on energy. It's common knowledge on the ship that you haven't eaten or regenerated in days. Care to tell us why?"

"Perfection. I am Borg. I do not need assistance to function."

B'Elanna made a small angry sound and stalked out of sickbay. The Doctor noticed a small flicker of emotion go across Seven's face, but it was quickly covered.

"Seven, I won't tell the captain that you were in here, but maybe you could use a short break. To erase tension, you know. How about a little time in the holodeck, hmm?"

Seven eyed him carefully, and the Doctor did his best to keep a straight face.

Finally, Seven nodded. "I will. Thank you, Doctor." She stood up and strode out of sickbay. Once she was gone, the Doctor allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief.


	8. Chapter 8

Wow, I wrote a WHOLE PAGE today, so here's the chapter, ahead of my schedule. (school's been a real PAIN, so I wasn't expecting it this soon.) THANK YOU SO MUCH to those who reviewed- you guys make my day when you leave a comment. :)

I really like this chapter. I've been planning this out before I even starting the story as a single scene, and I decided to fit it in here. I had to change it a little bit, 'cause I originally planned to write J/7 as I was an avid fan of that first, but I like how it turned out. I might re-use a TINY bit of these element when I write a J/7, but I'll make sure to change them enough to keep them interesting. :)

So, with that, here's the chapter.

* * *

Once Seven reached the holodeck, she remembered one of the programs where the Doctor had taught her how to play piano. If she was supposed to be "erasing tension," then maybe playing music would help. She instructed the computer which program to run, then sat down on the bench, and played.

-

B'Elanna paused before entering her quarters. She hadn't seen Seven since sickbay, but she didn't think the Doctor would be have been able to keep the Borg there long.

"Computer, locate Seven of Nine."

"Seven of Nine is in Holodeck 2."

B'Elanna spent a second thinking about it, then turned and headed to the holodeck.

-

When she entered the holodeck, she noticed it was a fairly simple program- a single dimly-lit room, with a piano and some plants to make it peaceful. However, the peaceful look was being ruined by the haunting melody coming from the piano player.

"Seven, you never told me you could play piano. What's the song called?"

The Borg turned around to face B'Elanna in surprise. "My Immortal," she replied quietly. "An old Earth song. It seemed appropriate."

"Why are you sad? You seemed angry when I last saw you."

"…Why did you follow me here, Lieutenant?"

"Because… I care about you, and I want you to be okay. We're friends… kinda… and I don't like watching you do this to yourself." B'Elanna paused, finally noticing something else odd about the program. "Seven, what happened to your implants?"

Seven glanced at her left hand, where the Borg metal usually resided.

"I erase them in this program," she said softly. "They are imperfect…" She traced the human skin of her hand thoughtfully. "I look… nicer without them. More human. More acceptable."

B'Elanna frowned. "Seven, there's nothing wrong with you the way you usually look. True, that outfit you wear can be a bit… distracting at times, but you usually look nice."

Seven looked at her disbelievingly. "Thank you for the kind comment, Lieutenant, but not all of the crew share your opinion."

B'Elanna rolled her eyes but didn't reply. "Seven, I understand that you want perfection, but why? And don't give me that Borg crap. I've heard it too many times. Is there someone you're trying to be perfect for?"

The Borg hesitated. "That is irrelevant."

"No, Seven, it's not," B'Elanna said softly, sitting next to Seven on the bench. "If it's for someone, it means you care for them, which could mean love… and if it's love, then that's a very good step, Seven."

Seven did not say anything for a few seconds as she gathered her thoughts. "It did not… start out for a person," she started hesitantly. "At first, it was because I was incompetent for a mission, and I desired to correct my imperfections. Then-ow-" She touched her forehead where her ocular implant usually was.

B'Elanna frowned. "Seven? You okay?"

"…My implants must be malfunctioning… My vision is failing…" She winced again, a tear appearing in the corner of her eye.

"Is it blurry or dark?" B'Elanna asked, concerned.

"In my left eye, it is dark. My other eye is fine." B'Elanna heard a small spark, and Seven clenched her eyes shut.

"Computer, end program."

When the illusions faded, B'Elanna sighed. "C'mon, Seven, we have to go to sickbay."

To her surprise, Seven nodded and rose to follow her- however, she seemed unable to walk straight. B'Elanna took her hand to guide her, and they carefully made their way to sickbay.

-

"Is there a _reason_ why you don't want to sleep, Seven?" the Doctor asked. "Rest would do you a world of good right now."

Seven looked uncomfortable. "I wish to 'get better,' but I seem to have an irrational fear of… sleeping."

The Doctor looked curious. "Did you have a nightmare before? A bad dream?" he explained when Seven looked at him blankly.

"I am not sure. All I know is that when I imagine sleeping, it is accompanied by negative thoughts."

"I can let you sleep without having dreams," the Doctor offered. When Seven still looked hesitant, he tried again in a gentler voice.

"I promise, Seven, you won't have any bad dreams. But you need to sleep."

Seven nodded, resigned, and the Doctor put a hypospray to her neck. Her eyes closed, and the Doctor laid her down gently on the bed.

She had been asleep five minutes when the doors to sickbay opened and Harry Kim came in.

"Is Seven okay?" he asked. "I heard she was in sickbay."

"Seven will be okay," the Doctor replied. "She's sleeping. If your shift is over, you may stay."

Harry nodded and took a seat next to Seven. B'Elanna rolled her eyes, taking a seat as well.

-

Seven found herself on the bridge. She couldn't remember what she was there for, but it didn't seem to matter. She had equations on the console in front of her, and she started working on them, not knowing what they were for.

She was actually becoming quite content to do what seemed to be an endless amount of equations, but there was a small spark, and she felt a pain in her left hand.

She tried to ignore it and continue, but the pain continued and she heard another spark, the pain coming to her ocular implant now.

Seven put her human hand to her head, trying to regain control over the pain. Why weren't her nanoprobes working?

After a few minutes of waiting unsuccessfully for the pain to subside, Seven left to go to sickbay. When she arrived, the Doctor came over to her, looking rather annoyed.

"What is it this time?" he asked impatiently.

Seven raised an eyebrow. "Doctor?"

"You're in here all the time, complaining of something or other. Just because you have a slight problem somewhere doesn't mean that you should come to sickbay. Maybe you should try to just deal with it on your own once in a while."

Seven frowned, confused. "I do not know what you are talking about. I usually come here because you tell me to, or if my work is being interrupted by a physical problem."

"Well then, wait until there's a physical problem before you come see me," the Doctor replied. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with you."

"My implants-"

"Are Borg technology." The Doctor sounded angry now. "And if they're Borg, then shouldn't they be _efficient_ and fix themselves? After all, _efficiency_ is all they care about."

Seven felt a strange emotion she couldn't place coursing through her, and she lowered her gaze to look at the floor.

_What have I done to bother him? I am certain that he is exaggerating._

Then another, more depressing thought came to mind.

_He does not care about my pain… He does not care about me._

She turned and left sickbay, heading for Engineering. Maybe B'Elanna would be more sympathetic.

-

"Lieutenant Torres? May I ask you a question?"

"What is it, Seven?"

"Do you know how to repair Borg technology?"

B'Elanna turned to face Seven, looking a little confused. "Why? Is your alcove malfunctioning again?"

"No, it is my implants that are malfunctioning," Seven replied, feeling slightly uncomfortable with B'Elanna using the word "again" for some reason.

"I'll help you with that in a minute. There's a _lot _of stuff to do today."

Seven nodded and stood patiently, hands clasped behind her back. She tried to ignore the occasional spark of pain in her implants. After only a minute, B'Elanna glanced back at her.

"If it hurts too much, I can fix them now."

"That is unnecessary, Lieutenant. You may finish your work."

B'Elanna shook her head and walked over to Seven. "I'm serious, Seven." She fingered the eyepiece gently, and the Borg flinched backward. The sensation was… unusual…

"Don't talk to the Borg, B'Elanna," an ensign said scornfully, walking up to them. "She isn't human- she doesn't have emotions. Don't waste yours on her."

Seven tried hard to control her expression, but she could tell it was a losing battle.

"I will see you later, Lieutenant," she said in a strained voice, and then turned and left Engineering.

Seven headed towards her cargo bay, thoughts swirling through her head. Why was the crew acting so… insensitive? She knew they disliked her, but they had tried to at least be civil to her after a while.

She hated how her feelings kept distracting her. She should have been able to control them- she had almost felt _tears_ come. Pathetic. Imperfect.

As she entered the cargo bay, a sense of loneliness, stronger than ever, flooded through her senses, and she curled up on the dais of her alcove, letting the tears flow.

-

"Doctor? What's wrong with her?" B'Elanna had been the first to notice emotion start to flicker across Seven's face as she slept. "I thought you said she wouldn't have any dreams."

The Doctor ran his tricorder over Seven, and frowned. "It seems her nanoprobes have disposed of the drug faster than I anticipated."

"Is that bad?"

"Not necessarily. It might not be a bad dream."

Inwardly, B'Elanna knew it was. The Borg looked so… _upset_.

She walked over to stand at Seven's side, and frowned. "Doctor? Are her implants working right?" At the Doctor's confused expression, she pointed. "Look."

"This is no malfunction, Lieutenant," the Doctor said quietly after a moment. "There appear to be… tears in her eyes. Real ones."

B'Elanna closed her eyes, not being able to stand the anguished look on Seven's face any longer.

"Please, Doctor, wake her up."

"Aye, Lieutenant." The Doctor put a hypospray to Seven's neck, and the three of them waited for the Borg to wake up.

Her eyes opened slowly, and she blinked a few times before a small smile appeared on her face. "Thank you, Doctor."

"I _am_ sorry, Seven," the Doctor said sincerely. "I thought the medicine would last longer."

"It is all right," Seven replied, sitting up. "I am… grateful that you three stayed with me, but I am fine now, and I should get back to my duties."

As she left sickbay, the other three exchanged worried glances. B'Elanna sighed.

"I'll go after her."


	9. Chapter 9

Okay, first, I want to thank those that reviewed- you guys are awesome. Second, sorry this took so long and that it's not that long, but I've gotten a little stuck. I'm getting some ideas, but the next chapter might crawl too. Let's hope I get some inspiration.

I think you guys might like this chapter. I'm not REALLY proud with how I ended the chapter, but it sounded like a good place and stop, and I was also kinda stuck- I'll work really hard on the next chapter and try to get it up sooner. :) Please be nice to me and review?

* * *

It didn't take long for B'Elanna to catch up with Seven. The Borg didn't notice her, though, being preoccupied with other things.

"Seven, look at me."

Surprisingly, the Borg stopped and turned to face her.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"What did you dream about that got you so upset?"

Seven paused a moment before shaking her head.

"Irrelevant. It is over now and will not happen again, so it does not matter."

"You don't know that," B'Elanna said sternly. "And it does matter. You shouldn't have to go through nightmares whenever you sleep. Just tell me and maybe we can fix it."

Seven hesitated, and B'Elanna persisted. "It wouldn't be good for your work if you were distracted."

After a few seconds of thought, the Borg nodded. "That is true," she admitted, "but I am unwilling to share my dream with anyone."

"I can understand that. But if we go somewhere private and I promise not to tell anyone, would you tell me?"

"…I will comply. Can we speak in the cargo bay?"

B'Elanna nodded. "Anywhere you want."

-

When they entered the cargo bay, B'Elanna noticed Seven carefully avoid her alcove. That would _definitely_ be something to ask about.

"So, how did it start?" she asked, trying not to sound impatient.

"It started out on the bridge, and I was at a console working on equations. They meant nothing, but it was… satisfying to complete them nonetheless. Then my implants started to cause me pain, so I went to sickbay." Seven paused.

"The Doctor was not acting… normal, however. He was acting rude. I felt uncomfortable, and went to find you in Engineering. You said that I must wait before you could help me, and I did so, but then you started acting… unusual. Nicer than you usually are. Then another crewman told you not to "waste your emotions" on me, and so I left."

Seven looked over at the alcove, an odd expression on her face. "I came back to the cargo bay… and cried. The Doctor must have woken me after that."

B'Elanna was feeling slightly upset by what she had heard. Seven had _cried_… She walked over to the Borg and hugged her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Why are you sorry? You had nothing to do with this."

"I know. I just am." B'Elanna hadn't let go.

"Lieu… tenant? Could you let go?"

B'Elanna blushed and did so. "Sorry, Seven… Umm… maybe I should go…"

Before Seven could say anything, B'Elanna had left, and the Borg was alone again.

Maybe she should regenerate. It would certainly get the Doctor and B'Elanna off her back. But… the scene from her dream was making her hesitant.

She quickly dismissed it as being illogical, and stepped onto the dais of her alcove. She would regenerate, and it would be normal. There was nothing to worry about.

Seven closed her eyes, and the regeneration cycle began.

-

She found herself on a Borg cube. The drones took no notice of her- she couldn't tell if that was good or not.

…But she wasn't a drone. Shouldn't they be trying to assimilate her?

A foreboding feeling went through her, and she held up her hands to look at them.

The skin was pale, almost white, and metal completely encased them both. With a quick glance down, Seven saw the rest of her body encased in Borg metal as well.

A sense of panic filled her and she looked back up into the face of- another drone?

Seven stepped backward quickly, and the drone did, too. She frowned. The drone did also, and her eyes widened in horror. It confirmed what she had been dreading.

The drone was her.

-

"Computer, end cycle."

Seven's eyes opened to see B'Elanna standing in front of her.

"Lieutenant? Why are you-"

"I couldn't leave you alone," B'Elanna said quickly. "Not after what happened."

Seven was surprised. She hadn't been expecting B'Elanna to stay.

"I know this is unexpected, but just _let _somebody be _nice_ to you for once! I'm sorry, Seven, I'm just worried about you, and I'm feeling all these things that I don't get, and…"

She stood there for a moment, looking nervous, then quickly went up to Seven and kissed her.

When she backed away, Seven raised a hand to her mouth, looking confused.

"Kissing," she recited. "An act of showing affection." She looked at B'Elanna uncertainly. "Why would you show affection towards me?"

"I don't know, Seven… Emotions aren't logical- you can't explain them. And even though a real Klingon wouldn't ever admit it… I think I'm feeling love."

"Love," Seven repeated. "Love is irrelevant."

"No, Seven," B'Elanna said. "Remember what you told me earlier? That you were trying to be perfect? And when I asked if it was for a person, you said it was "irrelevant" too, but that doesn't mean that you _weren't _doing for somebody. Just please tell me what's going through your head. I want to understand."

Seven stayed quiet for a moment. "I am still unsure of my reasons for obtaining perfection. All I know is that they changed from what they originally were. They might have included you. I do not know. Your admitting attraction to me is unexpected, and I do not understand why you feel this way."

B'Elanna shook her head. "Seven… I don't know why I feel this way either, but I also don't understand why you don't know why you're doing this to yourself. I can accept you not feeling the same way, but at least stop hurting yourself."

Seven hesitated. "I will consider this… please allow me time to think."

B'Elanna nodded. "Take all the time you need, Seven. I can wait."

Once B'Elanna had left, Seven sat down, determined to figure this out. What were the usual objections when humans discovered they were liked by someone?

Gender wasn't a problem, and nor was species in this circumstance. The only two objections seemed to be that A- she was a Borg, and weren't Borg supposed to be emotionless? And B- Seven could not find any reason why B'Elanna would like her. She went over different aspects of herself, and could not find one that did anything but make her and the half-Klingon annoyed at each other.

It didn't even occur to her to think about how she felt.


	10. Chapter 10

Okay, sorry for taking so long. It's been pretty busy lately. I think I know what's going to happen next chapter, so hopefully it'll come along faster. Don't think there's much else to say, so here's chapter 10.

* * *

After a bit more thinking on the subject, Seven found something interesting. It used to be a kind of tradition when you liked someone to argue a lot and act like a rival. A rather silly tradition, she decided, but one nonetheless.

When she applied this to her and the engineer's interaction in the past, she realized that many of the things she did resulted in fighting.

If tradition stayed true, at least in most places, then B'Elanna must truly love her. This made Seven a little bit confused and a little bit nervous, but she proceeded to look up how one acted towards the person they loved.

"_Seven of Nine to Lieutenant Torres._"

B'Elanna, who was on her way to the beginning of her shift in Engineering, was surprised. Seven had taken so long, she thought that the Borg had decided to forget about what had happened.

"Torres here. What is it, Seven?"

"_I have an answer to your question. Please report to cargo bay two._"

B'Elanna made her way to the cargo bay to find Seven waiting for her.

"So, Seven?" she asked trying to keep her nervousness from showing. "What did you want to say?"

Seven looked a little uncertain. "I have… thought about what happened earlier, and I have my response."

B'Elanna swallowed nervously. "And?"

"I have found that I… wish to reciprocate these feelings."

B'Elanna felt a wave of relief wash over her, and hugged Seven tightly.

"Thank you, Seven," she murmured. "Would you mind if I kissed you now?"

"Not at all," Seven replied softly, and closed her eyes as she felt the Klingon's lips touch hers.

She let B'Elanna do whatever she wanted as they kissed, partially because she didn't know what to do, not having the experience, partially because she had read that the dominant partner enjoyed that. And B'Elanna was _definitely _the dominant partner.

B'Elanna thought it was a little odd that Seven, who was so confident normally, was so submissive now. She dismissed it as being Seven's lack of experience in the area.

-

"B'Elanna, are you feeling alright?"

The engineer looked up from the computer console she was looking at to see Lieutenant Nicoletti.

"What do you mean, 'do I feel alright?' I'm fine."

"It's just that you're acting… cheerful today. Did something happen?"

B'Elanna rolled her eyes. "You know something's wrong with your personality when people think something's wrong when you're smiling."

Nicoletti smiled. "I'm glad to hear that you're fine. But… _did_ something happen? Not necessarily bad, you know."

"Nothing that needs to be said right now, Lieutenant."

"Did you kiss someone?"

"That's really none of your business, you know."

"Still. If you kissed somebody and it wasn't Tom, he'll get mad."

B'Elanna frowned. "We broke up. Why would he care?"

"Trust me. He'll care. It's a guy thing."

B'Elanna thought. 

"I'll keep that in mind, Lieutenant. Not get back to work."

"Aye, B'Elanna. See you later."

As the other woman walked away, B'Elanna suddenly felt nervous. What if Tom _did_ mind her being with Seven? She had to go ask him.

Maybe at dinner.

-

B'Elanna entered the mess hall, half-hoping Tom wouldn't be there so she wouldn't have to deal with asking him. Though she wouldn't admit it, she was a little nervous about telling her ex-boyfriend that she was going out with someone else… especially a girl… and _especially_ an _ex-Borg_ who she had hated before.

…This didn't sound good.

However, before she could get away, Tom saw her and waved her over.

"Hey, B'Elanna, how're things going?" he asked. "I haven't seen you much lately."

"I've been a little busy. But, Tom- there was something I needed to talk to you about…"

Tom frowned, not used to seeing B'Elanna nervous. "Is it personal? We can go somewhere else to talk if you want."

"That might be best. Maybe in your quarters?"

Tom nodded, and the two of them headed to his room.

-

"So, B'Elanna, what's got you so uptight?"

"It has to do with Seven…"

Tom nodded. "Yeah, I heard about what's been going on with her. Is that it?"

"Not exactly…" B'Elanna sighed. "Nicoletti was right. This is harder than I thought."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"She asked me if I was okay because I was happy, and then she guessed what happened, and she said you would be mad at me, and-"

"B'Elanna. Stop." Tom looked concerned now. "Just tell me what happened. You said it had to do with Seven, and you think I'll be mad because of it?"

B'Elanna nodded. "Because I used to love you."

Tom blinked. "Oh… I see. You and Seven?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I am kinda surprised, but… I need to ask you one thing."

"What's that?"

"Does she understand what she's getting into?"

B'Elanna frowned. She hadn't been expecting this question. "I don't know. Why?"

"Because she doesn't think the way we do. Does she understand what a relationship is? Knowing Seven, she might be trying to do something just to prove she can. Also, with the condition she's in, she might not be thinking clearly. Sit her down and talk with her. It might help."

B'Elanna nodded. "Okay. But… why are you helping me? Nicoletti said you'd be jealous."

Tom smiled. "Well, that just goes to show you what she actually knows. Now get going."

B'Elanna smiled as well and turned to go. "Thanks, Tom."

"Anytime."


End file.
